Wisdom of Solomon 3:1–6:9

1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,

and no torment will ever touch them.

2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,

and their departure was thought to be an affliction,

3 and their going from us to be their destruction;

but they are at peace.

4 For though in the sight of men they were punished,

their hope is full of immortality.

5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,

because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;

6 like gold in the furnace he tried them,

and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.

7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,

and will run like sparks through the stubble.

8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples,

and the Lord will reign over them for ever.

9 Those who trust in him will understand truth,

and the faithful will abide with him in love,

because grace and mercy are upon his elect,

and he watches over his holy ones.

10 But the ungodly will be punished as their reasoning deserves,

who disregarded the righteous man and rebelled against the Lord;

11 for whoever despises wisdom and instruction is miserable.

Their hope is vain, their labors are unprofitable,

and their works are useless.

12 Their wives are foolish, and their children evil;

13 their offspring are accursed.

For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled,

who has not entered into a sinful union;

she will have fruit when God examines souls.

14 Blessed also is the eunuch whose hands have done no lawless deed,

and who has not devised wicked things against the Lord;

for special favor will be shown him for his faithfulness,

and a place of great delight in the temple of the Lord.

15 For the fruit of good labors is renowned,

and the root of understanding does not fail.

16 But children of adulterers will not come to maturity,

and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish.

17 Even if they live long they will be held of no account,

and finally their old age will be without honor.

18 If they die young, they will have no hope

and no consolation in the day of decision.

19 For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous.

Chapter 4

1 Better than this is childlessness with virtue,

for in the memory of virtue is immortality,

because it is known both by God and by men.

2 When it is present, men imitate it,

and they long for it when it has gone;

and throughout all time it marches crowned in triumph,

victor in the contest for prizes that are undefiled.

3 But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use,

and none of their illegitimate seedlings will strike a deep root

or take a firm hold.

4 For even if they put forth boughs for a while,

standing insecurely they will be shaken by the wind,

and by the violence of the winds they will be uprooted.

5 The branches will be broken off before they come to maturity,

and their fruit will be useless,

not ripe enough to eat, and good for nothing.

6 For children born of unlawful unions

are witnesses of evil against their parents when God examines them.

7 But the righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest.

8 For old age is not honored for length of time,

nor measured by number of years;

9 but understanding is gray hair for men,

and a blameless life is ripe old age.

10 There was one who pleased God and was loved by him,

and while living among sinners he was taken up.

11 He was caught up lest evil change his understanding

or guile deceive his soul.

12 For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good,

and roving desire perverts the innocent mind.

13 Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years;

14 for his soul was pleasing to the Lord,

therefore he took him quickly from the midst of wickedness.

15 Yet the peoples saw and did not understand,

nor take such a thing to heart,

that God’s grace and mercy are with his elect,

and he watches over his holy ones.

16 The righteous man who had died will condemn the ungodly who are living,

and youth that is quickly perfected will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous man.

17 For they will see the end of the wise man,

and will not understand what the Lord purposed for him,

and for what he kept him safe.

18 They will see, and will have contempt for him,

but the Lord will laugh them to scorn.

After this they will become dishonored corpses,

and an outrage among the dead for ever;

19 because he will dash them speechless to the ground,

and shake them from the foundations;

they will be left utterly dry and barren,

and they will suffer anguish,

and the memory of them will perish.

20 They will come with dread when their sins are reckoned up,

and their lawless deeds will convict them to their face.

Chapter 5

1 Then the righteous man will stand with great confidence

in the presence of those who have afflicted him,

and those who make light of his labors.

2 When they see him, they will be shaken with dreadful fear,

and they will be amazed at his unexpected salvation.

3 They will speak to one another in repentance,

and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,

4 “This is the man whom we once held in derision

and made a byword of reproach—we fools!

We thought that his life was madness

and that his end was without honor.

5 Why has he been numbered among the sons of God?

And why is his lot among the saints?

6 So it was we who strayed from the way of truth,

and the light of righteousness did not shine on us,

and the sun did not rise upon us.

7 We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction,

and we journeyed through trackless deserts,

but the way of the Lord we have not known.

8 What has our arrogance profited us?

And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?

9 “All those things have vanished like a shadow,

and like a rumor that passes by;

10 like a ship that sails through the billowy water,

and when it has passed no trace can be found,

nor track of its keel in the waves;

11 or as, when a bird flies through the air,

no evidence of its passage is found;

the light air, lashed by the beat of its pinions

and pierced by the force of its rushing flight,

is traversed by the movement of its wings,

and afterward no sign of its coming is found there;

12 or as, when an arrow is shot at a target,

the air, thus divided, comes together at once,

so that no one knows its pathway.

13 So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be,

and we had no sign of virtue to show,

but were consumed in our wickedness.”

14 Because the hope of the ungodly man is like chaff carried by the wind,

and like a light hoarfrost driven away by a storm;

it is dispersed like smoke before the wind,

and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day.

15 But the righteous live for ever,

and their reward is with the Lord;

the Most High takes care of them.

16 Therefore they will receive a glorious crown

and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord,

because with his right hand he will cover them,

and with his arm he will shield them.

17 The Lord will take his zeal as his whole armor,

and will arm all creation to repel his enemies;

18 he will put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and wear impartial justice as a helmet;

19 he will take holiness as an invincible shield,

20 and sharpen stern wrath for a sword,

and creation will join with him to fight against the madmen.

21 Shafts of lightning will fly with true aim,

and will leap to the target as from a well-drawn bow of clouds,

22 and hailstones full of wrath will be hurled as from a catapult;

the water of the sea will rage against them,

and rivers will relentlessly overwhelm them;

23 a mighty wind will rise against them,

and like a tempest it will winnow them away.

Lawlessness will lay waste the whole earth,

and evil-doing will overturn the thrones of rulers.

Chapter 6

1 Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;

learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.

2 Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,

and boast of many nations.

3 For your dominion was given you from the Lord,

and your sovereignty from the Most High,

who will search out your works and inquire into your plans.

4 Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly,

nor keep the law,

nor walk according to the purpose of God,

5 he will come upon you terribly and swiftly,

because severe judgment falls on those in high places.

6 For the lowliest man may be pardoned in mercy,

but mighty men will be mightily tested.

7 For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of any one,

nor show deference to greatness;

because he himself made both small and great,

and he takes thought for all alike.

8 But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty.

9 To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed,

that you may learn wisdom and not transgress.